Styles and Auto Numbering

[Guest]

Hi,

What is the best way to apply styles and auto numbering to existing text?

We frequently paste special documents that have come from outside sources
into a blank screen and then have to format them. We style the doc primarily
to create a TOC. Our IT people have asked us to create custom styles, and
not to modify Word's default styles. So we don't use Word's Heading styles
because we're not allowed to modify them.

I know how to create and modify styles, and set up auto numbering and link
levels to styles. I generally set up the styles first, then set up all
levels of numbering and link them to their respective styles.

Where I have problems is applying the styles and numbering to existing text.
If you need more specific about the problems, I can illustrate.

Thanks,
Rose

 

[Jezebel]

There is no 'best' way. It depends on the document. Find and Replace is
often useful: you can leave the Find and Replace boxes empty and work only
with formatting: eg if all the main headings in the original are 20pt bold,
you can search for formatting = '20pt bold' and replace = 'heading 1
equivalent'.

And commiserations on your incompetent IT department. Their request that you
not use the built-in styles is going to cause extra work and expense for
everybody until they wake up to themselves.